Household pets, such as dogs, can often be creatures of habit. They may have their favorite toy, but especially can have their favorite place to sleep. Unfortunately, this place may not always be where the owner would like it. If the owner wishes to train the pet to a particular place, they can put a soft cushion there and hope, or keep the pet there each night, until he learns to go by himself. Regardless of the method, however, the training must start when the pet is as young as possible. Once fully grown, new tricks become hard to teach.
Some pet owners wish to have their pets sleep in the same bed with them, for reasons including warmth, companionship or security. It therefore becomes important for these owners to train their pets early in life to sleep in the bed. If not, the pet may stay in the bed for a time, but will at some point in the night return to the favorite spot he has become accustomed to favor.
The problem arises when a young pet, such as a puppy, must be trained to climb onto a bed that is too high and physically impossible to climb. Once the dog has grown, he will be able to jump onto the bed with no difficulty, but beginning the training then would be too late. Additionally, smaller breeds of dogs may never achieve the necessary size and older, disabled or injured pets may find it impossible to jump onto the bed. It is thus necessary to provide a means for allowing the pet to climb onto the bed.
A common device for allowing animals to reach different heights are ramps. This type of ramp has usually taken the form shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,618,568, wherein a pet house is disclosed having a ramp as an entrance means. The ramp is a hinged plank of solid material, such as wood, and includes added steps or slats to provide traction for the pet as he climbs the ramp.
It is possible to provide such a ramp for a bed, although impractical. The ramp would be quite heavy, making it a nuisance to install or store. Without any attachment means to the bed, the ramp's own weight would cause it to slide and fall. The size of the ramp, even though it is possible to fold it, as in U.S. Pat. No. 3,618,568, makes it cumbersome to store when the owner would not want it seen.
Thus, it is an object of the invention to provide a device that allows a pet to easily ascend onto a bed.
It is another object of the invention to provide a device that is securely attached to the bed.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a device that is easily and inexpensively manufactured, easily assembled, collapsible and portable.